The thesis has been divided into five chapters. The three central chapters reflect paradigmatic shifts in Nigerian historiography. During the colonial era, although a few texts written by Nigerians entered the published literature, most writing was produced by non-Africans, anthropologists and colonial administrators, for the purpose of social investigation and control. With the establishment of Nigerian universities in 1948, academic historians, fuelled by the desire for independence, reclaimed their discipline to write local and national political histories. Encouraged by the concerns of the North American feminist movement of the 1970s, women gained an increasing presence in research and literature. / Contrary to earlier arguments, categories for representations of women in history coexist in time. There are periods such as the nationalist era, in which women are almost invisible. When women are present in the literature, however, they are seen both in complementary power relationships with men in certain economic areas, such as trading, and in other areas, such as taxation, subject to male power. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

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